Black Diamond
by Brii-Brii-Chan
Summary: Diamond April Black. Harry blinked. That means...she's in the same predicament as me. A new girl, a new family, a new year at Hogwarts, and a new love
1. Rescue Me

A/n: Hey! I'm finally back with a new fic, and I'll be working on this one a lot, I promise! I have no idea where the idea came from, or why, but it did, so I started writing. And I really hope my writing has improved some from my previous fics. Please let me know if you think so! I love you all! (hugs)

Rain spattered the window as thunder rolled, startling the snowy owl on the desk. The boy looked up at her slight jump and smiled softly.

"It's all right, Hedwig. It's only a storm." He poked his fingers through the bars of the cage and stroked her beak comfortingly. "It'll be over soon."

Harry looked back down at the letter he was writing to one of his best friends in the wizarding world, Ron Weasly.

_Ron-_

_Has your mum said anything about letting me come for the summer? The Dursley's are worse than ever and have locked me in my room again and Hedwig in her cage. _

_Thanks a load for the sweets. They really helped (Aunt Petunia has put Dudley on another diet, and so the rest of us have to suffer too), thanks for the book. I've read all of mine-even the school ones. Did you know that Crups could be found here in the Muggle world? They look like regular dogs once you cut their tails off. Great, I'm starting to sound like Hermione (not sure if that's a good or bad thing, though)._

_Ask your mum and SAVE ME! _

_-Harry_

_P.S. You haven't gotten your letter yet, have you? I'm thinking nobody has. _

Harry folded the letter into a tiny square and tied it to Pigwidgeon, Ron's tiny owl, who hardly stood still long enough for him to secure it to his leg.

"You're not going out before the storm stops," Harry told the over-excited owl. "Don't need you getting hurt."

"POTTER!"

Boy and owls all looked towards the door as Harry's Uncle Vernon came storming up the stairs towards his room. Quickly stuffing Pig into a pair of socks and tossing him into the trunk that was sitting at the foot of his bed, Harry shut it and flopped on his bed, staring at the ceiling only a moment before his uncle burst in, his face a vivid shade of plum.

"You...You've been talking to them! Those things like you!" Vernon waved a letter in Harry's face. "They sent a letter by the postman. Somebody named Granger."

Green eyes went wide at the sound of Hermione's last name. Why on earth did she send it through the normal post? She had gotten an owl over the summer and could've sent it that way with no interference.

Vernon smirked at the slight panic on his face. "So...you know this...this _Granger_ do you, boy?" He thrust the letter in his face. "Open it. Read it aloud."

Taking the letter with a shaking hand, Harry opened it and unfolded the parchment folded within the envelope.

_Dear Harry-_

_I hope your aunt and uncle are treating you right, especially after everything you went through only weeks ago. Mum and Dad sent their best wishes._

_Have you heard from Ron about spending the majority of the summer holidays at the Burrow? Last I heard from him was that Mrs. Weasly was in a panic over the travel issues now since Snape and Malfoy are out there, along with the Ministry watching the Floo Network._

_You're probably wondering why I sent this normal post. Artemis got sick from eating a sick mouse a few days ago and isn't quite up to flying that great distance yet (although he's doing much better). Terribly sorry if this causes any trouble with your aunt or uncle._

_I've sent a few things to you through catalog, seeing as how your last letter seemed written out of pure boredom. I do hope you'll write back, and I'll send my reply with Hedwig. And let me know when you get your letter for this year. I still haven't gotten mine and I'm beginning to worry. Did Professor McGonagall close the school for good? If so do you think she would've notified the students, or at the very least the parents (or guardians in your case)? Please write back quickly._

_Love from,_

_Hermione_

"So...the school closed, did it boy? And the Weasly's want to take you in." Vernon had a nasty smirk on his face as he watched Harry, who was still holding the letter, reading it again. "In that case, go. You go to the Weasly's, and leave my family alone. You've burdened us for sixteen years, you ungrateful imp, so go and leave our life forever!"

"But that isn't fair!" Harry protested, jumping to his feet. "I don't even know if I _can_ go there! Mrs. Weasly hasn't said anything!"

Vernon hit him across the mouth, sending him toppling back onto his bed. "Don't you dare speak to me like that. You will gather your things and leave! I never want to see you near this house again!" Turning on his heel, the man waddled from the room, slamming the door behind him, Harry's alarm clock falling off the desk in the after shock.

Green eyes glistened with unshed tears, tears of anger and hatred for that man. Dudley and Aunt Petunia he could live with, as they would at least stay out of his way and ignore him. But Uncle Vernon had gone too far. After digging his wand from the bottom of his trunk-and letting Pig out to zoom around his room, hooting annoyingly-Harry wrenched his door open and stomped downstairs to where the other members of the household were sitting down to dinner.

"Sit down, the ham is getting cold," Petunia snapped, setting a piece of the meat she had spent hours to prepare on a plate for him.

"No, Aunt Petunia. I'm not hungry tonight." Harry turned his gaze to Vernon, who had his back to him.

Petunia watched him warily, then looked at Vernon. "Well, I'll leave it for you for later." She continued fixing everyone a plate, glancing up at her nephew every once in a while.

"I hate you...you've treated me like dirt ever since I came to live with you! ALL BECAUSE OF WHAT I AM!" Harry took a step towards him, his angry tears streaming down his face. "EVERY TIME I DO ANYTHING YOU LOCK ME IN MY ROOM FOR IT! YOU'RE LUCKY I'VE NEVER GONE TO THE POLICE AND REPORT CHILD ABUSE!"

Vernon slowly turned around and glared at him. "You do that boy...and I'll make you wish you had never been born."

Harry did something he had never had the bravery to do for as long as he could remember.

He punched Vernon.

The man fell backwards out of his chair and rubbed his jaw, staring upwards in shock.

Petunia shrieked and ran to her husband's side to help him. Dudley just sat there, staring at Harry, his mouth hanging open.

"Bloody hell...That was brilliant!" Dudley grinned at Harry, fork still in his hand.

Casting a weak grin back at his cousin-with whom he had grown to tolerate, almost befriend-before looking back at his uncle, the portly man getting to his feet.

While the other two in the family had warmed slightly towards Harry, Vernon had grown colder, meaner. Petunia even gave him small amounts of pocket change a few times a week, saying even though he had money in his world, he'd need some for theirs, and bought him a new bookshelf to house his things while he was home. Dudley had stopped tormenting him and they spent time with each other, watching TV in comfortable silence or playing video games with friendly arguments.

Vernon, however, treated Harry worse than ever, saying he should have been the one to have been killed, not the "crack-pot old fool" as he called Dumbledore. His presence had darkened his family's good name and he was tired of him never doing anything.

"Damn it, boy... You'll regret you did that..." With a shout of rage, Vernon leapt at Harry and clamped his hands around the teen's neck, strangling him easily with his large hands.

"Vernon let go of him!" Petunia shrieked, running to attempt to pry his hands from her nephew. "Let go!"

The man rounded on her and snarled, "Stay out of this, Petunia!" With a swipe at her, his wife backed away and took Dudley with her to the corner, both trembling with fear.

Harry vision blurred as his glasses were knocked from his face and skittered across the floor to where his cousin picked them up. "I've got them, Harry!" All he wanted was Vernon to let go of him, so he could strike back, to run, to help his aunt and cousin.

As he gasped for air, he thought he saw Hedwig fly down the stairs and into the sitting room, but it must've been his imagination; she was still upstairs, locked in her cage.

"HARRY!"

He was shoved to the floor as a slew of voices bombarded his hearing, his uncle shouting, his aunt and cousin shrieking in terror, and a few small explosions. The tile came up to meet him as he smacked his cheek against the cool surface and stayed there, not moving, panting from his small scuffle.

In a matter of minutes everything was over, and someone was helping him to his feet.

"You all right, mate? You look bloody awful!"

Dudley came closer-he could tell who it was from the shape of the blurry outline-and gave him his glasses. Putting them on, he saw Ron, his twin brothers Fred and George, their older brother Bill, and their sister Ginny standing around the kitchen, Mr. And Mrs. Weasly tending to Vernon and Petunia.

"How-what-Ron?" Harry babbled, confused at why they were there.

Ginny hurried over and hugged him tightly. "Oh Harry, we were worried! All your letters sounded dreadful and Mum was having kittens about you. After your reply to the last letter never came, we panicked!"

Harry stroked her hair, holding her tight. "I'm fine, now that you're here."

Molly Weasly hurried to him after magicking up a cup of tea for Petunia. "Harry, dear, come on, let's get your things and go. You're staying with us until term starts. Arthur and I already have permission from McGonagall and Fudge for you to come with us. And Hermione will be coming as well. Her parents would rather her be with fully trained wizards than in the Muggle neighborhood if an attack should come."

Fred and George were watching him curiously. "Gee, Harry, you didn't have to kick us while we were helping, you know," George muttered.

"I...I kicked you?" Harry ran a hand through his hair, his head hurting. "Sorry about that, really am."

"It's all right, mate. No damage done. But wow, you should watch that." Fred was speaking this time. "Almost got George in the head."

He grinned sheepishly at the twins, identical in every way, and started towards the stairs to his room.

Bill followed him, chuckling. "You sure you're all right? Dad almost got you with the Leg-Locker. And Ginny just barely missed you with one of her Bat-Bogeys."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Honest."

They entered the room and Harry started to toss his belonging into his trunk, letting them lay there haphazardly as he piled items on top of each other. Hedwig's cage was empty. So it hadn't been his imagination when he thought he saw her fly by. One of the Weaslys must have set her out.

Ron gaped at how the room looked. "Bloody hell, Harry, what'd you do, get this stuff from a rubbage dump and magic it better?"

"Aunt Petunia bought them for me," he replied, pulling trinkets off his bookshelf. "Vernon doesn't know she did it though. Thinks they're from the garage from before." Harry untacked his calendar from the wall above his bed and stuffed it in the trunk between books. "Just get me out of here."

Pig had attacked Ron as soon as the boy had entered the room, hooting happily to see his owner. Now he was sitting contentedly on Ron's shoulder, nestled against his neck. "Sure thing. We'll be taking Floo Powder though, because of the owls and your trunk. Can't Apparate yet with other things, can we?" Ron grinned lopsidedly at his friend who laughed for the first time since Christmas.

"Right you are, mate." Harry replied, lifting his trunk with the help of Bill, and started out the door to go down stairs.

Back in the kitchen, Vernon was propped against the wall, legs glued together, arms clapped to his side tightly, looking angrier than ever. Apparently one of the Weaslys had used the Full Body Bind on him, most likely Arthur. Mrs. Weasly was soothing Petunia at the table, saying that he could be put right with no harm done to him. Dudley was picking at a few carrot sticks, listening in on Fred and George as they spoke together in a corner. He was still wary of those two after a few summers ago when they made his tongue swell.

"Harry!" Arthur exclaimed, turning away from Vernon to embrace the young wizard. "Hope you've been better than we thought."

"I'm fine, Mr. Weasly. can we go now?" Harry returned the hug and backed away.

The balding man cast a glance at Vernon and nodded. "Yes, well...why don't you tell your aunt and cousin good-bye first."

Harry gave his aunt a hug and a warm smile before shaking Dudley's hand. "See you next summer. But don't worry Aunt Petunia. I'll be out and gone then. I'll just be coming back for my things."

Petunia nodded tearily and sniffed. "Be careful, Harry."

"So...after this year you're of age?" Dudley asked. He got a nod. "Cool!"

The wizard grinned and grabbed his trunk. "I'll write to you."

Vernon's eyes widened at the statement. Making noises of protest, his face began to change to an ugly shade of puce. Harry snickered at him and turned towards the living room so he could get to the Burrow with his trunk and Hedwig. Taking a bit of the green Floo powder offered to him by Mr. Weasly, he tossed it into the fire. The flames turned green and as high as he was and he took a deep breath.

"THE BURROW!" He shouted, stepping into the flames. A second later, he was traveling through the network of fireplaces towards the Weasleys' home.

A/n: There you go! My return chapter of my return fic! I hope you like it, and I will hopefully update regularly. Review, if you don't mind


	2. At the Burrow

A/n: Here's chapter two! A few revelations in this chapter, and the like. A bit OOC-ness here, mainly because I was having trouble working while my mom was cooking and interrupting me every ten minutes. Anyway, enjoy!

The Burrow was the same as he remembered it: cluttered, filled with the delicious scents of Mrs. Weasly's cooking, the pile of Wellington boots outside the front door-these he saw through the window, and the elderly grey owl, Errol, sitting on his perch off to the side of the kitchen.

Not long after he stepped out of the flames, The twins, Fred and George, appeared at his side, grinning.

"We patched things up with that cousin of yours," Fred stated, seeing the questioning look on Harry's face.

"Not as bad a bloke as we thought," George added, nicking a cookie from a pile on the counter. "Gave him some of the harmless sweets we saved from our last trip to Honeyduke's. Looked like Christmas had come early, he did.

Harry grinned, taking a cookie as well. Mrs. Weasly Apparated in next to them, beaming.

"Oh Harry!" She engulfed him in a hug. "I'm so happy you're here with us for the rest of the summer!"

"So am I, Mrs. Weasly. Where's Fleur?"

Everyone went silent. Harry looked around at the three other in the kitchen, emerald eyes wide. "What?"

"Fleur was killed in an attack a few weeks ago. Bill was devastated." Fred informed him, taking a cookie.

Harry felt as though somebody had taken a pair of pliers and clamped them around his heart. He hadn't been too fond of the part-Veela, but she had still been his friend. His face paled and he looked at Mrs. Weasly who had tears rolling down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry."

She nodded and waved it off as if it was nothing more than an offer at something small. "It's quite alright. She died fighting. Received Order of Merlin, Second Class, because she rescued a group of young children from the attack." Nodded, she turned away and began putting the cookies into a container. "Now, it's going to be a tight squeeze around here since it's you, Ron, Ginny, the twins are back here while the shop is closed, Bill and Charlie are here as well in Percy's old room, and Hermione will be bunking with Ginny, as well as...Diamond."

"Diamond? Who's Diamond?" Harry looked towards the twins, confused.

George smiled, a dreamy look on his face. "Ah, Diamond. Fairest of the fair, as if sent from the heavens by the gods themselves."

Fred leaned against his brother, sighing happily. "A Diamond in the Rough, you could say."

"Boys, enough of that." Mrs. Weasly shook her head at them, smiling slightly. "Diamond...is somebody you might want to meet."

Ron stepped out of the fireplace a moment later, coughing. He bumped into Fred, who jammed his elbow into George's side. George yelped, and the twins glared at him. "Sorry." He looked around the kitchen for a few moments before heading towards the stairs. "Come on, Harry. Let's get your things in my room."

Harry followed him, dragging his trunk.

"Don't worry about that, Harry," George stated. "Forge and I will bring it up later."

"Right you are, Gred."

Sniggering, Harry continued up the stairs after Ron. "So, who's this Diamond girl?"

"She's, well...Diamond. Not quite normal, but not nutters, either." Ron cast a glance behind him. "She's just...different."

Ginny came storming out of her room at that moment, grumbling to herself.

"What's gotten to her?" Harry muttered to the red head in front of him.

"It's Diamond! She's let her ferrets out again and they're chasing my owl!" Ginny snarled. "I'm tired of her! You men must like her, but I want her to go home!"

Ron scowled at her. "You know she can't, Ginny! She doesn't have a home to go back to. So be quiet, she's coming."

Harry looked up as he heard soft footsteps on the landing in front of them. Slowly, a person descended from the shadows into the light of the stairway.

Inky black-blue hair fell in waves to her mid-back, dark royal blue eyes peering at them from behind her bangs. Low-rise hip-hugger pants paired with a pale turquoise sweatshirt over a white tank top contrasted nicely with her dark features.

"Er...hullo Diamond," Ron muttered, his ears turning red. "This is...er..." He seemed to have forgotten the name of his best friend.

Rolling his eyes, he held his hand out. "I'm Harry."

Diamond just stared at him for a moment. "Harry...I've heard about you from the Weasly's. And of course from newspapers and other media, although Father didn't particularly agree with me having them in my possession."

Harry blinked. She spoke...oddly. Quiet, yet powerful so you had to listen to her. Her voice was soft and gentle, but far away, wispy. "Erm, yeah." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Loads of people heard about me that way."

"Well, I'm pleased I could finally meet you, Harry. I only wish my father could have introduced us instead." Diamond continued down stairs before turning around. "And if you see two white ferrets anywhere around here, please try to catch them. They got loose again."

"Isn't she odd?" Ron asked a few minutes later when they were safely in his room. "She's always like that."

"Yeah. Who's her father?" Harry wondered, flopping across Ron's bed.

He was answered with silence.

The rest of the afternoon was spent playing Quidditch with Fred and George, Ginny refereeing, and Diamond watching from under an oak tree nearby. When the apple they were using as the Quaffle was nearly impossible to see in the darkness, they began to troop back inside, laughing, tired, and in very good moods.

Mrs. Weasly was in the kitchen, cooking fervently trying to finish everything quickly. Potatoes were peeling themselves in the sink, a sauce was simmering on the stove, and there was a salad on a large bowl on the counter.

"Here mum, let me help." Ginny hurried over to help her with the potatoes, which were now resting on the washboard, completely peeled.

"Thank you, dear."

Harry, Ron, and the twins headed into the living room to collapse on the furniture, red-faced and grinning. Diamond sat against the couch where Ron was sprawled across it.

Glancing at her, Harry asked, "Diamond? Erm...why are you here?"

Blue eyes bore into green as she watched him. "Because I have no place else to go. Luckily Father kept in contact with the Weaslys and when he passed away, they took me in, with permission from Cornelius Fudge."

"Oh...I'm sorry about your father." Harry looked away, her gaze unnerving.

"You knew him, you know."

Staring at a photo on the wall, Harry began to think.

'_Knew him? How did I know him? I only know of three men who died, but one was too old...'_

He was snapped out of his reverie by Mrs. Weasly calling them to dinner. Getting to his feet, he trooped out behind Fred, who was singing some song with George about weasels and gnomes.

Dinner was grand, the tables loaded with food and everybody in a good mood. Harry enjoyed himself greatly, sitting between Ron and Charlie, talking with them about the Quidditch Cup that had been held in America that summer.

"The Cannons actually made it to the finals, this year!" Ron informed Harry.

"Tha's great," he replied thickly, mouth full of mashed potato.

"But they were eliminated in the first round." Charlie reached across and helped himself to more peas. "The Wasps made it all the way to the final match against the Bogeys."

Harry nodded, swallowing. "So who won?"

Ron's face drooped a little. "The Wasps, by 645 points."

He coughed, choking on his water. "By _how_ many!"

"645," Charlie stated, patting his back. "It was an awful game, though. Blood and fouls all over the place. The referee was going bonkers."

"I can only imagine..." Harry muttered, sipping his water carefully.

Further down the table, Fred and George were talking to Diamond, trying to get her to open up.

"What's your favorite color?" Fred inquired.

"Favorite animal?" George fired at her.

"How old are you?"

"Know any good pranks?"

"What's your middle name?"

"Do you like Ron?"

"Or Harry?"

"Fred, you dolt. They're practically related!"

"Oh, right you are..."

Diamond's eye began to twitch. "Turquoise and teal, black wolf, sixteen, yes, April, maybe, no, and are you done yet?"

The twins stared at her. A second later, their faces split into broad grins and they began their tirade all over again.

"Do you need a job?"

"Do you have any heirlooms?"

"Are you really an A-ranked witch in Wales?"

And so on. Diamond groaned and let her head connect with the table with a lovely thud.

At the end farthest away from Harry and Ron, Arthur and Molly were conversing quietly about Diamond.

"Arthur, we have to tell the children who her father is eventually. Before they go back to Hogwarts." Molly cast a worried glance at Diamond, and then Harry and Ron. "They deserve to know. Naturally, Bill and Percy already know, so of course, Charlie knows as well. Harry especially deserves to know, Diamond being who she is."

Sighing, Arthur removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "Molly dear, let them enjoy themselves tonight, and we can tell them tomorrow. I'm sure Harry is tired from his ordeal at Privet Drive, and Ron is so excited to have him here. We'll tell them tomorrow when I get home from work."

Molly sighed, watching Harry. "If you're sure, Arthur. Please try to find where Diamond's mother is, though. She deserves to know, after what she's been through."

"I promise, dear." Arthur leaned over and quickly pecked Molly on the lips. "Now let's get the kids to bed so we can talk to Bill, Charlie, and Percy about Diamond and Harry."

Herding the younger ones to bed proved to be easier than expected. Ginny had already started back towards the house by that time, and Harry was almost falling asleep in his treacle tart. Ron was half awake as he trudged his way back inside, Charlie leading him so he wouldn't trip over the gnomes who had come out to steal leftovers. Diamond followed easily, the twins running after her to continue interrogating her.

"WILL YOU TWO STOP THE BLOODY QUESTIONING ALREADY!" Diamond shouted, whirling around to face them, eyes fierce.

Fred and George froze on the spot. They looked at each other, then back at her.

"Um...we'll just be going to bed now." Fred began to scoot to the side.

"Rightio, Fred." George inched to the other side. "It's about time to turn in, anyway."

The next thing, they were running back towards the house. Diamond huffed and stomped back inside and upstairs to Ginny's room.

Ron raised an eyebrow. "Irritable, that one is."

Harry merely nodded before heading up the stairs to Ron's room.

The two changed in silence. As they were crawling into bed, the lights off and moonlight streaming in through the window, the door opened and the twins crept in.

"You two still awake?" George asked, flipping the light switch on.

"We are now," grumbled Ron. He sat back up and glared at his brothers. "What do you want?"

Fred sat on the end of his bed. "We found out about Diamond. We used the Extendible Ears to listen in on Mum and Dad talking to the others."

Harry put his glasses back on and looked at the twins. "Well, what did you find out?"

George sat on Harry's bed. "She's a pure blood witch, her family going back as far as anyone can trace. She's an only child, she grew up with family on her father's side all her life, until she was fourteen. Her father took her in, and then two years ago he passed away."

"And the wildest thing we heard was her whole name. Diamond April Black." Fred nodded.

Silence filled the room as this fact sunk in.

"Blimey, Harry..." Ron whispered. "She was Sirius's daughter!"

The twins nodded in unison. "Now she's living here until Dad can find out where her mum lives."

Harry looked at Ron. "That means...she's in the same predicament I am..."

A/n: Lame ending, I know. I'm sorry, but I wrote almost all of this while Mom was getting a head start on Thanksgiving dinner. I was just staying out of the way and let her go. Please review and give me a few ideas for the next chapter! I'm at a loss at the moment and I would love to have any ideas you can offer. All credit will be given to the ones who help me!

Anyway, review please. And happy Thanksgiving to all of you celebrating! Don't eat too much! Love you guys!


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